This
was a surprising - and also surprisingly effective
- coupling. Both Mendelssohn and Zemlinsky
were, in their different idioms, consummate
craftsmen, and this came across strongly in
this recital. And, even though the two works
are of approximately the same duration the
Mendelssohn was no mere hors d’oeuvres.

What
a pity, then, that the Zemlinsky seemed to
have frightened away many people - there was
plenty of space (as there was for Steven Osborne’s
Messiaen
last year). The Mendelssohn A minor Quartet,
Op. 13 is a wonderful piece. It was written
in 1827 (the year of Beethoven’s death, and
before Mendelssohn had turned 18) and is structurally
interesting, particularly for the recurrence
of the slow introduction right at the end
of the work, and also for the use of an Intermezzo
in lieu of a Scherzo. The Artis Quartet chose
to begin the Adagio introduction with a lean,
yet expressive, sound. It was most impressive
– a pity that the semiquavers of the Allegro
vivace tended to be blurred by the Wigmore’s
acoustic. Yet the warmth of sound of the Adagio
non lento more than made up for this, forced
into relief by the first movement’s disavowal
of indulgence. The second movement’s fugue
flowed naturally and became a musical statement
of some depth, to contrast with the cheekier
moments of the Intermezzo. But what was most
noteworthy about this performance was the
intensity of the finale, a sudden injection
of real tragedy into proceedings. This was
remarkable intensity – all of a sudden the
juxtaposition of Mendelssohn and Zemlinsky
made even more sense.

The
Artis Quartet’s recordings of Zemlinsky for
Nimbus have garnered universal critical praise,
and deservedly so. They recorded the Third
and Fourth Quartets on NI5604 in 1998, so
they have lived with this piece for quite
a time now. And it shows. The Fourth Quartet
(1936) is subtitled Suite and acts as an ‘in
memoriam’ for Alban Berg, who died in 1935.
The most obvious reference is to Berg’s Lyric
Suite (also six movements, in which Berg
had quoted from Zemlinsky’s Lyric Symphony).
The Artis Quartet managed to keep the intensity
alive throughout the performance, right from
the lyrical first violin over funereal chording
at the start, through the bleaker moments,
the shadowy dances and the eloquent Barcarolle,
with its full-toned cello solo.

It is
difficult to comment too much on the individual
players, as the interpretations come so much
as if from one unit. Certainly Herbert Kefer’s
viola playing was of a consistently excellent
standard (wonderfully agile in the finale
of the Zemlinsky, for example) – maybe Johannes
Meissl, the second violin, should also be
mentioned for his gripping way with the non-espressivo
accompaniment figure in the Zemlinsky first
movement. But this is almost to detract from
the Artis’ unanimity of purpose and its utter
commitment to the works at hand.

A memorable
recital. Just a pity this one wasn’t packed
to the rafters.